Australian Sea of Thieves players can have a real pirate band serenade them

Sign up to have a real band sing shanties for you in-game.

If you've pondered whether or not to arrange a real pirate-themed band to accompany you on your Sea of Thieves voyage, then you're among a small minority. A small, weird minority. But not so weird that Microsoft isn't setting up exactly that situation for its Australian userbase.

Because not only are there actual, gigging pirate-themed bands in Australia (this one is called Captain Hellfire & The Wretched Brethren), but they've also got access to livestreaming services. "Fans of the game will be able to play through the game with Captain Hellfire from the comfort of their own couch (or crow’s nest) via livestreamed sessions," Microsoft's press release says, "as the band creates personalised pirate songs (AKA shanties) based on what’s happening in the game in real time."

This pirate group obviously won't be offering its services to every single Sea of Thieves player in the country. So if you're keen you'll have to book a (free) ticket. Sign-ups were meant to go live at midday but they haven't yet, so best keep an eye on the Xbox ANZ Facebook page.

Dubbed the "Sing us a Shanty" service, the actual singing and playing will occur on March 24 and 25, for those lucky / brave enough to secure a ticket. As for those who don't, the ensuing comedy will stream on Xbox ANZ Mixer, Facebook and Twitch. And in case you need it specified: yes, this all applies to Windows 10 users, too.

Shaun is PC Gamer’s Australian editor and news writer. He mostly plays platformers and RPGs, and keeps a close eye on anything of particular interest to antipodean audiences. He (rather obsessively) tracks the movements of the Doom modding community, too.